Our Story
In 1997, while attending graduate school at UC Davis, Pastor Timothy saw how deeply the campus needed a college ministry. As he read the book of Joshua, he sensed God calling him to make Davis his “promised land.” So, he and his wife, Alice, took a step of faith and began the very first Bible study at UC Davis.
Not long after, Pastor Jonathan and Susanna, along with our very first team from Berkeley, joined them—and our first church plant was born.
Over the years, God has faithfully built a community where students can encounter Jesus, grow in their faith, and wrestle honestly with life’s biggest questions: Who is God? What is my purpose? And what does it mean to follow Christ?
We continue to see God moving in Davis today. Much of our staff team is made up of UC Davis alumni who chose to stay after graduation and serve as co-vocational ministers. Nearly three decades after that first Bible study, God is still changing lives, forming lasting friendships, and raising up students who desire to follow Jesus and live out their faith on campus and beyond.
Klesis Christian Fellowship is part of the Acts 2 Network, a family of churches across the U.S. and around the world united by a shared heart to reach the next generation.
Meet our
Pastoral Couple
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Our campus pastor, Albert, and his wife, Elisa, have been ministering to college students for over 15 years. After serving at their alma mater, UC Berkeley for 3 years, they were sent out to help start our LA church plant in 2013. They grew up with the church as they ministered to the campus alongside their best friends. In 2025, they spent one year in Bible and leadership training in Illinois before moving to Davis to lead the ministry!
They, along with their two kids- Jordan and Sophie love having students over at their house, taking walks as a family, and playing “Blind Dinosaur” (an original Kim family game!). These days, you’ll also find them scouting out new dessert places in Davis!
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I grew up in a Christian household but by junior high felt jaded by my experience in the church. In college, I signed up last-minute for a retreat where I heard Francis Chan preach the gospel clearly and surrendered my life to Jesus in January 2007 in a room full of strangers. I found our church in Berkeley later that year and met Christian role models like Steve Suh and Bryan Song who taught me how to live out my faith, have spiritual vision for myself, and become a blessing.
Likes: basketball (Lakers, Dodgers!) and bacon on anything!
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I grew up in a Christian home in the comfortably sheltered city of Irvine, and ready for adventure I chose to go far and attend UC Berkeley for college (go Bears!). I was excited to experience freedom, autonomy, and life in the “real world.” What I found during those first years of college was that I made a pretty poor master over my own life and that ultimately life in my hands resulted in me feeling more insecure and anxious than before. I looked for meaning in purpose what I saw others chase in college - in academic achievement, fun, relationships, and it was disorienting when I felt emptier and unfulfilled. But that experience helped me be more open to give God another chance, and I was able to re-discover my childhood faith in a fresh way as I saw others take it seriously around me and I got to experience genuine Christian warmth and community. I was also floored at how relevant, applicable and wise the bible was, as message after message I felt like someone surely had given our pastor a glimpse into my diary because he seemed to be describing what was inside of me. I decided to follow Jesus and make him Lord over my life, and since then found that living my life for Jesus has resulted in true peace, love for others, and genuine joy. I continued to stay on to help with college ministry, where I eventually signed up to help start the UCLA plant back in 2013 (go Bruins!) and now I serve at our Davis college ministry (go Aggies!). I am passionate about talking to college students and getting to share with them about the difference Jesus can make in their lives and their eternal trajectory.
Likes: coffee, cooking, reading (CS Lewis, Harry Potter)
Our mentors serve co-vocationally, which means we pursue our professions while also serving in ministry. We’re designers, engineers, healthcare providers, scientists- and above all, followers of Jesus who care deeply about college students.
For many of us, our years at UC Davis were more than just a season of classes and campus life - they were a defining chapter in our spiritual journeys. It was here that we encountered Jesus in deeper ways, asked hard questions, built lasting community, and saw our faith take root and grow.
Our heart is to see more students encounter Jesus, grow in authentic community, and live out their faith in everyday life. We love walking alongside them through questions, challenges, and victories. Our hope is to equip the next generation of kingdom workers, bringing His love into college campuses and the world!
Meet the Mentors
What We Believe
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The Bible is God’s Holy Word, without error, and is the sole authority for life.
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There is one God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; who subsist in unity, and also as three separate distinct Persons.
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We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity and is the eternal, all-powerful, all-loving, just and perfectly holy, sovereign Ruler and Sustainer of the universe.
(Gen. 1:1; Eph. 4:6; John 1:12-13, 5:19-21, 17:1-5; Isa. 40:21-28, 43:10-13, 46:8-11; Rom. 8:14-16).
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We believe that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and God’s Son. He was born of a virgin as both God and man, lived a sinless life, died to atone for the sins of human beings, was buried, arose from the grave, ascended into heaven, and will literally return to earth.
(John 1:1,14,18, 3:16; Luke 1:30-35; Phil. 2:5-8; Col. 2:3,9; Mark 10:45; Acts 2:22-24; John 1:29; Rom. 3:25-26; Heb. 10:5-14; 1 Pet. 2:24, 3:18;John 20:20; Phil. 3:20-21; Heb. 1:3; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1; Acts 1:11; Heb. 9:28; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess 2:7; Matt. 24:44; Rev. 19:11-21; Rev. 21-22).
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The Holy Spirit is the divine helper, assistant, counselor and instructor and His work is to reveal Christ, convict of sin, lead to repentance, guide believers, comfort, strengthen, and sanctify the soul.
(1 Cor. 13:8, 14:22; John 16:7-8; 1 Cor. 6:19, 12:13; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30; Gal. 5:16-17, 22-23; Rom. 8:5-13; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; Rom. 12:3-8).
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Man is the special creation of God, made in His image. Man was created to glorify God, worship and serve Him, and have fellowship with Him. Man fell through sin by disobeying God, thus incurring both physical and spiritual death, which alienated him from God. All men are sinners, utterly lost, and totally incapable of saving himself and coming back into right relationship with God by his own merit or effort.
Genesis 1:26, 2:6-17, 3:17-24; Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 3:9-19, 23, 5:8; Luke 18:26-27; Ephesians 2:13
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Salvation is a gift through repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. Every person who truly is saved is eternally secure in the Lord Jesus Christ and will spend eternity in heaven, while those who die in their sins will spend eternity in hell.
Ephesians 1:7, 13-14; John 1:12-13, 3:1-7, 14-16; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 1:16, 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 8:14-17, 31-39; John 10:27-29, 14:6; Acts 26:20; 1 Peter 1:3-5
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Every Christian should live for Christ to God’s glory. By obedience to the Word of God, each believer should mature and progressively become more like Jesus. In the power of the Spirit, each believer should live a holy life; be part of a Christian community to build up the body of Christ through serving others; and be personally involved in making disciples to fulfill the great commission.
Galatians 2:20; 1 Peter 1:15-16, 2:11; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Romans 6:11-13; Ephesians 2:10, 4:11-12, 22-24; 1 Peter 4:10-11; Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:18-20; Colossians 1:10; John 15:8, 16
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The church is a local body of baptized believers with the Lord Jesus Christ as the Head. The purpose of the church is to make Christ known to lost men and to make disciples, and glorify God on earth.
Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 1:20-23, 4:1-6, 12-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 17; Colossians 1:24-29